


The French Canadian

by McKayRulez



Series: Français Canadien Rodney McKay [1]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: 4 Things, Bilingual, Bilingual Rodney, Gen, Languages, Off-World, Revelations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 06:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15528045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKayRulez/pseuds/McKayRulez
Summary: "I didn't know McKay could speak French.""Well, it is one of Canada's national languages."





	The French Canadian

The first time his team and Elizabeth realized Rodney could speak Canadian French was on an off world mission gone wrong. 

Sheppard got shot in the leg by a native, and Ronon and Rodney had to help him back to the gate. Sheppard heard Rodney muttering harshly under his breath, his perpetual frown was looking more than angry than his usual annoyance. 

Whatever McKay was muttering wasn't English, and Sheppard could only assume they where foreign cuss words. He felt proven right soon after when they got to the Stargate, with the villagers close behind them. They made it through, and Carson was already at the ready as Teyla had radioed ahead a medical emergency. 

As Sheppard was placed on a gurney, Elizabeth went quickly down the stairs. "What happened?" She demanded worriedly. 

Rodney looked to her and ranted in fast pace French about the idiot primitive natives. Elizabeth only raised an eyebrow, as the scientist blew off steam. 

Carson glanced over to McKay as he led Sheppard away. He made a tsk noise. "You know, I thought Canadian's where suppose to be such nice folk. Saying please and sorry. That lad is the very definition of an anti-stereotype."

"Yeah." Sheppard agreed. "I thought it was like an unwritten law that Canadian's were to polite too cuss.. Unless at a hockey game or something."

 

The second time was during the siege of Atlantis. A tired, stimulant addled McKay, rambled in his letter about everything. From leadership, his cat, his lost dog, his sister and somewhere in the mix he wrote a greeting to Carter. 

He placed a hand on his heart. "The torch still burns for you. Toujours dans mon coeur."

Carter received the message through the gate and combed through the data for information about Atlantis's predicament and then glimpsed the beginings of each of the personal messages, to make sure each one would be delivered to the proper person. When she got to McKay's message to her, she frown wondering if it was just tired slurred speech but couldn't figure it out. She took the feed to Daniel. 

"Can you make this out?" She asked the linguist.

Daniel listened and then looked up to her. "It's French, it means, 'Always in my heart'."

"I didn't know McKay could speak French." 

"Well, it is one of Canada's national languages."

 

The third group to learn McKay could speak French was his minions. 

After Rodney had given two scientists from France a stern lecture about protocols that they had broken, the two turned their backs on him and spoke to each other in French. 

Their demeanor and shared eye roll was enough for Zelenka to get the gist of their aggravation with McKay, even if he couldn't understand them. 

Whatever they had said made McKay mad, as he began yelling French back at them. The two scientists looked at him wide eyed and scared. 

Zelenka messed with his glasses as he watched the two young recruits get an ear full. He was very glad McKay didn't understand his Czech ramblings... 

 

The forth time was on a trade mission. Woolsey frowned as the natives spoke their unusual dialect. It was actually somewhat odd to hear Pegasus natives speak something other than English for a change, which that in itself was really, really convenient and weird as well. 

Woolsey and Sheppard looked confused. Ronon and McKay looked bored, and Teyla tried to be diplomatic. With a patient smile, she showed them items they had brought samples of to trade, and hoped they would understand. 

Woolsey shook his head and looked to Sheppard's team. "I don't think this is going anywhere."

Sheppard nodded. "Yeah.. Time to call this a bust guys."

Rodney looked up from his spot under a tree and frowned. "Why? They got coffee."

"Unfortunately, it would take forever to set up a dialogue." Woolsey straightened his uniform. "While I don't mind being diplomatic and handling first contact, it would perhaps be best to just find another trading partner." 

Teyla bowed her head reluctantly as Rodney continued to look at them all confused. 

"What do you mean? They were pretty clear on what they wanted." Rodney stated, looking at his team wondering why they where acting the way they where. 

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Gotta try harder, McKay. That joke was lame." 

McKay looked unamused at Sheppard. "What's with all of you?"

"What do you mean Dr. McKay?" Woolsey asked curious. 

"They said they wanted," McKay did a sarcastic eye roll and made quotes with his hands, "'magic light bearers', 'flashlights' in exchange for several pounds worth of Coffee beans and cloth."

"You understood them?" Ronon asked, finally speaking up.

"Well yeah. Of course. Couldn't you?" Rodney tilted his head. 

"They weren't speaking English, Doctor." Woolsey responded slowly, eyeing him. 

"They.. Weren't?.." Rodney looked confused for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. 

"What?" Sheppard looked at him concerned, wondering if the natives gave him something that effected his brain. 

"They were speaking French!"


End file.
